The Stars Group is insisting that its staff in the island are playing a vital role in the online gaming business including the ’flagship’ poker brand despite revenue plunging here by more than 73%.

The Toronto-based business is gearing up for a merger with Irish betting group Flutter Entertainment and last week it emerged that the Stars Group has been laying off employees at its offices in Dublin.

Following a our report in last week’s business news about the full-year financial statements and fourth quarter results we posed some questions to The Stars Group.

We asked: ’How will the Isle of Man figure in the plans to enhance the global appeal of the PokerStars brand as mentioned prominently in the report and by the chief executive Rafi Ashkenazi?’

We also asked : ’There have been reports of more people losing their jobs in Ireland (with Stars Group) - can you assure us that there are no plans to make any further cutbacks in the Isle of Man?’

The group answered with this statement: ’The Stars Group is proud to employ hundreds of staff at its offices in the Isle of Man, which has always been and remains a critical operational hub for the company. These employees play an important role in making The Stars Group brands among the safest and most respected in the online gaming industry, and this continues to be the case in 2020 as we plan to enhance the appeal of our flagship poker brand, PokerStars.’

Business News also asked this specific question: On page 38 of the annual statement it appears revenue in the Isle of Man fell by more than 73% last year. Why do you believe this has happened?

This was the answer from the group: ’On page 38 of the financial statements, this reflects the revenue attributable to each gaming licence or approval, as opposed to the jurisdiction where the customer was located.

’As a normal course of business, we work closely with multiple regulators and governments around the world to offer our products in a safe and fair manner consistent with our regulatory requirements and operate efficiently with a focus on optimising player experience and customer service.

’In 2019, The Stars Group took the decision to migrate the B2C (business to customer) business offered pursuant to its Isle of Man gaming license (.com) to the Maltese licensing structure (.eu).’

Last September a number of staff lost their jobs at its Isle of Man offices, the main base at Onchan Head and the smaller office in Douglas.

At the time the stars Group spoke of operational difficulties its PokerStars brand was experiencing in some of its international markets.

It is understood around 400 people work in the island for the online gaming group.